Though Phineas and Gene were best friends, they couldn’t have been any more different. Throughout the novel “A Separate Peace”, these characters pushed through many trials and tribulations including death. Faced with the war and life on the battlefield, the boys were ready and able. However, not one of them was prepared for what would happen right at home. In a twist of events, Gene causes Finny to fall out of a tree and break his leg; a break that would ultimately kill him. Because of his actions and problematic behavior, this makes Gene the weaker character.
In a comparison of the two boys, Knowles implies that Gene is nearly an exact opposite of Finny. Driven by rivalry and bitterness, Gene’s entire mindset is comprised of comparing himself to others and becoming the best at everything. On page 24, one moment changes everything and will cause Gene to spitefully hurt his best friend.
“There was a swift chain of explosions in my brain, one certainty after another blasted—up like a detonation went the idea of any best friend, up went affection and partnership and sticking by someone and relying on someone absolutely in the jungle of a boys’ school, up went the hope that there was anyone in this school—in this world—whom I could trust.”
Despite having loved Finny and been his friend for years, Gene …show more content…
A good athlete, charming, and light-hearted, the boy symbolizes the ideal American boy. Seeing that good nature in Finny lead Gene to contemplate the reality that he was indeed jealous of who Finny was. As a strong minded character, Finny spends the rest of the book after the accident trying to deny that Gene could hurt him this way, not wanting to believe that his own best friend had ultimately destroyed his life. Stubborn to the fact that nothing between them would be the same, Finny simply chooses not to bring up the fall until provoked by Brinker. Finny’s only weakness was ignorance of the malice of
In a comparison of the two boys, Knowles implies that Gene is nearly an exact opposite of Finny. Driven by rivalry and bitterness, Gene’s entire mindset is comprised of comparing himself to others and becoming the best at everything. On page 24, one moment changes everything and will cause Gene to spitefully hurt his best friend.
“There was a swift chain of explosions in my brain, one certainty after another blasted—up like a detonation went the idea of any best friend, up went affection and partnership and sticking by someone and relying on someone absolutely in the jungle of a boys’ school, up went the hope that there was anyone in this school—in this world—whom I could trust.”
Despite having loved Finny and been his friend for years, Gene …show more content…
A good athlete, charming, and light-hearted, the boy symbolizes the ideal American boy. Seeing that good nature in Finny lead Gene to contemplate the reality that he was indeed jealous of who Finny was. As a strong minded character, Finny spends the rest of the book after the accident trying to deny that Gene could hurt him this way, not wanting to believe that his own best friend had ultimately destroyed his life. Stubborn to the fact that nothing between them would be the same, Finny simply chooses not to bring up the fall until provoked by Brinker. Finny’s only weakness was ignorance of the malice of